Condenser.



No. 817,458. PATENTED APR. 10, 1906. U. H. WHEELER & J. J. MULLAN.

CONDENSER. APPLICATION. FILED AUG. 4, 1905.

Exp/E5555 v the county of Philadelphia and 11 ITE l PATENTOFFICE,

CLIFTON H. WHEELER AND JOSEPH J. MULLAN, CF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TC C. H. WHEELER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN SI'LVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

,ooNnENsEn.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

i Patented April 10, race.

Antlioation filed August 4, 1905. Serial No. 272.624.

LER and JOSEPH J. MULLAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadel hia, in tate of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Condensers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is not only to completely convert the spent steam or water of condensation into liquid form, but to maintain the same at such a high temperature as to be able to reconvert the same into steam both with the expenditure of the smallest consistent number of units of heat and as quickl as, ossible,"or, in other Words,-to retain al the eat possible in the liquid, and so eiiect economy in the operation of the steam plant. To eiiect this result and in carrying out our invention, the spent steam or water of condensation as it enters the condenser comes in contact with a bank oftubes containing a cooling liquid at its lowest temperature, and the temperature of this liquid is increased by taking up 'heat and that of the water of condensation considerably reduced. This liquid then passes to a bank of tubes at a lower level and the water of condensation fallin strikes these latter tubes, is completely lique ed, and inbeing cooled further increases the temperature of the liquid in the tubes.

A The liquid in the second bank of tubes then passes to a bank of tubes at a lower level and the condensed li uid still falling and cooling strikes the third loank of tubes, in which the liquid is very much hotter than when it left the first bank of tubes, and in so doing its temperature is raised, thereby avoiding all risk or liabilit3Lof refrigeration, and thus preparing the liquid to return hot to the boller, where less units of heat are expended to reconvert the same into steam.

The condenser is constructed with a horizontal cglindrical portion havin these three banks 0 tubes, and the ends of t e condenser are alike, but reversed, and of such peculiar construction that the cooling liquid entering .one end is first taken around through an outer compartment and then enters an internal com artment and the higher bank of tubes, and efore leaving the other end of the condenser it passes around through a similar outer compartment having a perceptible radiatin -surface.

In t e drawings,.I igure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section, Fig. 2 a plan, and Fig. 3 a cross-section and elevation at the dotted line a: a: of Fig. 1.

The cylindrical body a of the condenser is rovided with heads a, with the inlet-pipe b 1n the top for the water of condensation and the exit-pipe c in the bottom for the feed- Water and with a bafiie-plate (1 within the cylindrical body below the opening of the inlet-pi e b and against "which the entering water 0 condensation strikes and is dispersed. Within this cylindrical body and extending from end to end through the heads a are the banks of horizontal tubes e, f, and g. The

ends of the condenser, which are made alike, but reversed, are re resented at h and 'L. The end it is provide with an aperture 2, to which is connected an inlet-pipe k. This end it is provided with an annular compartment it between concentric walls and with an opening 3 in the inner wall at the tohp. Said end is also provided with a partition dividing the inner portion of the end up into compartments h and 7t". The opening 3 forms an entrance to the compartment k and one end of the bank of tubes e opens into this compartment. The com artment 72, of this end is larger and the he s of tubes f g open into the same. The end i, like the end h, but reversed, is also provided with an aperture 2 and the opening 3 with the pipe 1, connecting the part of the end at the aperture 2 with an annular com artment i, formed between concentric we is with a partition t and compartments '1' 71 The opposite ends of the banks of tubes 6 and f open into the compartment i and the opposite ends of the bank of tubes 9 open into the compartment '5 In the operation of the condenser the cooling-water enters the end it by the pipe it, passes through the aperture 2 and around through the annular compartment h, through the opening 3 into the compartment h then entirely through the bank of tubes e and into the compartment 77 of the end 'L. Turning,the water enters and asses entirely through the bank of tub esf an into the compartment h of the end h, and turn n there the water enters and passes entirely t ough the bank of tubes 9 into the compartment 1' of the end i. From there the water passes by opening 3 into the annular compartment "5, and so around the end i and discharges by the aperture 2 and the pipe Z.

From the illustration and foregoing description it will be apparent that the annular or outer compartments of the condenser ends are of appreciably greater diameter than the inner compartments thereof, which embrace or encompass the ends of the series of tubes, and consequently it will be manifest that inasmuch as the circulating water or cooling liquid is compelled to pass through the annular compartment at the inlet end before reaching the water-chamber or inner compartment and to pass from the water-chamber in the opposite end to the annular compartment in that end to the outlet-pipe on the top thereof that all the tubes in the condenser will be entirely below the level of the water in the ends at all times during the working of the apparatus, insuring the tubes being full, which is the primary object of the construction disclosed, and in reality the most important part of our invention. Moreover, it will be understood that the circulating water may be passed through the series of any odd number of courses each consisting of a bank of tubes within the condenser without departing from the nature and spirit of our invention. Meanwhile the condensing steam or the water of condensation from the engines enters the cylindrical body of the condenser by pipe I) and striking the baffle-plate is dispersed over the surface of the bank of tubes 6, and as this condensing steam is very hot and the water in the bank of tubes 6 at its lowest temperature the effect is a consider able condensation of the exhaust-steam. This exhaust-steam passes through between the tubes of the bank e and falls upon the tubes of the bank f, the water in the bank of tubes e meanwhile taking up considerable heat in reducing the temperature of the water of condensation. Consequently the water in the tubes f is hotter than the water in the tubes e, but is yet suficiently cool to exert its heat effect in completely condensing the steam as the same passes over the tubes of the bankf. At this point the spent steam is presumed to becompletely condensed "and liquefied, the heat having been taken out of it by the water in the bank of tubes the heat of which is materially increase As the condensed steam or liquid, which it now is, passes farther down in the cylindrical body of the condenser it strikes the bank of tubes 9. At this point the temperature of this liquid is presumed to be lower than the tempera ture of the water in the pipes g. Consequently this liquid takes up some of the heatthat is, a small or appreciable amount from the liquid in the tubes g, and the water finally flows by gravity by the exit-pipe c and returns to the boiler as feed-Water. The heated water in the bank of tubes 9 as it passes through the annular compartment i of the condenser end 'i is appreciably cooled, and from the outlet-pipe this water is presumed to pass to a suitable cooling-tower in which the same is cooled before it returns to repeat p sonably high temperature, so that when the same returns to the boiler as feed-water it will not require a large number. of units of heat to reconvert the same into steam, and at the same time the condenser is so constructed that cooling-water entering the same is effective in contact with the hottest entering spent steam for effecting a large reduction in the temperature therefor. The movement of the cooling-water so progresses as to completely condense the spent steam and at the same time to give off part of its surplus heat to maintain the water of condensation as feed-water at as high a temperature as possible, and this cooling-water has a part of its temperature reduced by passing through the annular compartment in the second end of the condenser before passing away to a cooling-tower to be cooled preparatory to repeating the operation;

We claim as our invention- 1. The combination with a cylindrical body and heads therefor, of series or banks of tubes extending through the cylindrical body and said heads, ends to the cylindrical body that are alike but reversed, and so arranged that the passage of cooling liquid is progressive through the series of tubes, and means forming part of said ends whereby the water in the ends is at a higher level than the water in the tubes.

2. In a condenser, an end comprising concentric walls forming an annular compartment, a partition dividing the interior into two compartments of varying sizes, an entrance 0 ening into the annular compartment an an entrance opening from said cornpartment into one of the internal compartments.

3. In a condenser, an end comprising concentric walls forming an annular compartment, a partition dividing the interior into two compartments of varying sizes, and an entrance opening into the annular compartment and an entrance opening from said coIn partment into one of the internal com artments in combination with three ban s of tubes, the one entering the smaller compartment of the end and the other two the larger compartment. V

4. In a condenser the combination with a cylindrical body having an inlet-pipe for the spent steam and water of condensation and an exit-pipe for the feed-water, of ends connected to the cylindrical body that are alike but reversed, each end comprising concentric walls forming between them an annular compartment with an openin to this annular compartment, a partition ividin the interior into two compartments of ifferent sizes with an openin from the annular compartment to the smal er of these interior compartments, three series of banks of tubes passing through the cylindrical body of the condenser, one of said banks opening into the smaller interior compartments of the ends and the other two opening into the larger interior compartments of the ends.

5. In a condenser, the combination with several independent horizontallydisposed series or banks of tubes, of cylindrical ends providing means for conveying and circulating the cooling-water first through the higher bank of tubes, then through the intermedi-' ate bank of tubes and finally through the lower bank of tubes, and means forming part of said ends whereby the water in the ends is maintained at a higher level than the water in the tubes.

6. In a condenser the combination with several independent series or banks of tubes, of cylinder ends providing means for conveying and circulating cooling-water first around and within the shell of one end and into a small internal compartment, thence through the higher of the bank of tubes, and into a large internal compartment of the other cylinder end and through the intermediate bank of tubes into a large compartment of the first end, thence into the lower of the bank of tubes and into the smaller internal com artment of the second end, thence aroun and within the shell of said end and away.

7 A surface condenser comprising a horizontally-placed condenser-body, heads for the same, tubes passing through said body and heads, ends for the said heads, and means forming part of said ends whereby the water in the ends is maintained at a higher level than the water in the tubes.

8. A surface condenser comprising a condenser-body, heads for the same, tubes passing through said body and heads, ends for the Silld heads. an internal wall in each of said heads conforming in outline therewith and providing a compartment between the same and the exterior wall of the end, an opening being provided in the exterior wall of each end and leading to the said com artment therein, and another 0 ening provi ed in the interiorwall of eachen at the side opposite the aforesaid opening and leading from the said cogipartment to the interior chamber of the en 9. In a condenser, the combination with a condenser and body, a series of tubes through the same, and heads therefor, of ends to the body. that are alike, and each end comprisin a wall surrounding the tubes at one end an forming a compartment, and a wall outside of appreciably greater diameter than the aforesaid wall, inclosing an outer compartment which with the inner corn artment and tubes is filled at all times wit the cooling liquid whereby the water-level in the ends is higher than in the tubes, insuring the tubes being full.

10. In a condenser, ends that are alike but reversed, and each end comprising inner and outer walls providing concentric compartments with an entrance opening into the outer compartment, and an opening providing communication between the respective compartments at the side opposite the aforesaid entrance-opening. I

11. A surface condenser comprising a condenser-body, heads for the same, tubes passing through said body and heads, ends for the 831d.- heads, means forming part of said ends whereby the water-level in the ends is higher than in the tubes, insuring the tubes being full, and means contained within the aforesaid means forming part of said ends for dividing the tubes in the condenser into series of courses through which the cooling liquid is compelled to flow.

12. A surface condenser comprising a condenser-body, heads for the same, tubes passing through said body and heads, ends for the said heads, an internal wall in each of said heads conforming in outline therewith and providing a compartment between the same and the exterior wall of the end, an opening being rovided in the exterior wall of each end and leading to the said compartment therein, and another opening provided in the interior wall of each end at the side opposite the aforesaid opening and leading from the said compartment to the interior chamber of the end, and means contained within the inner chambers of the said ends dividing the tubes in the condenser into series of courses throu h which the cooling liquid is compelled to ow.

Signed by us this 26th day of July, 1905.

CLIFTON H. WHEELER. JOSEPH J. MULLAN.

Witnesses:

RonNAY MORISON, WM. B. LOUDER. 

